Ford reportedly will base Fusion sedan production in China
Mini unveils new, stripped down logo
The premium-fuel secret: You almost never need it
More than a half-million Hyundai, Kia compacts recalled for brake light problem
Tiny carwash used for somehow-serious purpose of testing Nissan paint
Ferrari set to hit new sales goal early to boost profits

October brings us the beginning of Fall, Halloween, Octoberfest... and the Paris Motor Show. In fact, the second and final press day is coming to a close as we speak. Between now and the annual SEMA Show in Las Vegas at the beginning of November, there are going to be hundreds of automotive events to keep car-lovers busy.

Ford's off-road beast, the F-150 SVT Raptor, has only been on sale for a year, but it's already getting a few upgrades for the 2011 model year. Many reports and a few spy shots indicated that Ford had been prepping a four-door SuperCrew version of the Raptor (you know, for when the family wants to do the Baja run with you), and the automaker has officially confirmed the details (again).

September means the end of summer vacation, but the automotive festivities continue, including the Paris Motor Show at the very end of the month. We'll have a full team coverage in the City of Lights, but that's almost a month away. Between now and then there are hundreds of car-related events to keep all but the most rabid gearheads satisfied.

That didn't take long. As soon as the Ferrari 599 Spyder post went live this afternoon we started hearing from multiple sources that Ferrari did indeed preview a 599 "Roadster" in Monterey a few weeks ago and that the letter posted on Luxury4Play is authentic. It shouldn't be that surprising, after all, we did a post predicting the unveiling a while back.

We saw this one coming; the BBC has apparently sacked The Stig. Britain's Daily Mirror tabloid reports that the Stig, a.k.a. Ben Collins, has been let go and that a new Stig has already replaced him on Top Gear. In fact, the Mirror says it already have pics of the new Stig at a Nürburgring track event, wearing the signature white coveralls and smoked visor helmet. How does the paper know it's not Collins in the photos? Simple: it had another photographer at Ben's house – 1,100 miles a